Matthew 6:6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you 3openly.
WHAT IS PRAYER?: Take a moment and in your own words, write down what prayer is and means to you. Don’t try to sound intelligent with it, just what it means to you in your everyday life.
Imagine having a friend who only contacts you when he/she needs something from you; how much of a friend would you consider that person? How close of a relationship do you suppose you would have with the friend?
Prayer is used to spend quality time communicating with God. A disciplined prayer life is one that is regular and sincerely from the heart. However, being regularly disciplined does not mean that our prayers are repetitive and redundant, meaning we’re praying the same prayer everyday at the same hour just so we can check it off our list of disciplined things to do. Disciplined prayer is one from the heart and is focused on deepening our relationship with God.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Just like quiet time was important in growing our relationship with God, prayer is just as important. While quiet time was focused on giving God an opportunity to speak to us through His words, prayer is the reverse. It is the time where we are speaking to God and communicating our heart to him. It is extremely important in order to grow our relationship with God. Below are a few verses on the purpose of prayer:
· To praise God, expressing adoration (Mt 6:9, 1Ch 29:10-13)
· To pray that God's will to be done (Mt 6:10; Mt 26:39,42)
· To make requests for our daily needs ( Mt 6:11; 3Jn 2)
· To confess our sins, seeking mercy (Mt 6:12; 1Jn 1:9)
· To ask for God's providential care (Mt 6:13; Ro 1:9-10)
· To express thanksgiving - 1Th 5:17-18
· To find peace in the midst of anxiety - Php 4:6-7
· To receive strength and boldness from God - Ep 3:14-16,20; 6:18-20
· To find opportunity for service to God - Col 4:3
· To receive wisdom from God - Jm 1:5-8
· To intercede on behalf of others - Jm 5:14-16; 1Ti 2:1-2
DOES PRAYER REALLY WORK?
The power of prayer – below are a few biblical examples of the power of prayer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDtCPYtqZXk&feature=youtube_gdata_player
· Hannah – 1 Sammuel
· Mark 11:24 – whatever you ask for in prayer
· Elijah prayed for rain – 1 Kings
· Nehemiah - Nehemiah 1-2
· Esther 4
· James 5:13 – anyone in trouble
· Prayer in faith – James 5:15
· Woman crippled for 18 years – Luke 13
· 1 John 5:14
· Herod seized an imprisoned peter – Acts 12
· Prayer of a righeteous man – James 5:16
· Acts 9 – Saul’s eyes
· Many, many more instances…
HOW DO WE APPLY IT TO OUR LIVES/HOW DO WE PRAY?:
In Matthew 6:6-13 and Luke 11:1-4, Jesus gives us a good template for prayer. In the example of the Lord ’s Prayer, it gives us an example of what components every prayer should have. Our prayers should be done in secrecy, be simple and Thus the discipline of prayer should include the elements of secrecy, simplicity, and sincerity. The A-C-T-S of prayer is an acronym which gives us guidelines of a disciplined prayer life. They are as follows:
A – adoration: means to worship and acknowledge the majesty of God. This is where we acknowledge that God is the ruler of every facet of our lives and without him our lives would be nothing.
“Hallowed be thy name…”
C – Confession: Here we acknowledge that we are sinners and have sinned and ask for God’s forgiveness.
“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”
T – Thanksgiving: We give thanks to God for all that he has done and the graces and mercies He has afforded us in spite of our sins and shortcomings.
S – Supplication – This is a big word that means “request”. When we lift up our supplications to God, we’re telling him directly what we need from Him.
“…Give us this day our daily bread…”
“…lead us not into temptation…”
The ACTS are not meant to be the only way to pray but it gives us a guideline to begin our prayers. As we’re in constant communication with God, we’ll have times of prayer that only focuses on one aspect of this ACTS. For example, we may at some point during the day; say a quick prayer of thanksgiving for something that God has just done for us.
FINAL WORD:
· The discipline of prayer requires discipline but the discipline is not meant to be a repetitive, redundant ritual done as one of a daily chore. It is to be a channel of communication with God with a heart of Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. James 5:16 says “…The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective…”
· The Lord’s prayer 40 day challenge
- Instructions: Use the Lord’s Prayer daily for the next 40 days as a guide to seeking the Lord’s will for you, your family, your church, and your community. Journal and describe how you see God moving in and around you.
- Matthew 6:9-13 9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
NEXT TIME: Spiritual Disciplines: Worship
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